Transplanter.



T. A. COLE.

TRANSPLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.17, 1912. 1 ,O'71,001 I Patented Aug. 19,1913.

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TRANSPLANTEE.

APPLICATION FILED 001217, 1912.

, Patented Alig. 19, 1913.

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THOMAS A. corn, or LUCAS, MICHIGAN.

TRANSPLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed October 1'7, 1912. Serial No. 726,327.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. COLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lucas, in the county of Missaukee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Transplanters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to transplanting devices; and the object of the same is to produce an improved tree transplanter by means of which trees, shrubs, and bushes having numerous and perhaps widespread roots can be removed from one position to another. This object is carried out by constructing the transplanter in the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan view, and Fig. 3 an end elevation. Fig. at is avertical section on the line 4c-4-. of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the drawer member removed.

Broadly speaking the invention comprises two members, one of which'is the shoe formed in the shape of a scoop and by preference made of sheet metal, and the other of which I call the drawer because it is intended to slide into and close the open ends of the trough-like structure which constitutes the shoe. The latter by preference has a flat bottom 1 and two upright sides 2,

all cut ofi squarely at their rear ends on the line 3 and preferably cut off on oblique converging lines a at their front ends so that a point 5 is formed at the center of the bottom and this point is upturned slightly into the shape of a nose. .Beneath the same is secured a single runner 6 which extends back under the flat bottom 1 and is riveted thereto as at 7, and the front extremity of the runner is provided with an eye 8 to which may be attached a chain or a Wh1flltree so that draft can be applied for moving the entire device over the ground in a manher which will be described below. Secured upon the bottom 1 near the front. end of the shoe are metal straps forming pockets 9 facing to the rear. Secured within the upright sides 2 are straps or lugs 10 having apertures or eyes for a purpose to appear below.

The other member or drawer is made as follows: An upright cross board 11 fits removably in what has been called the rear end of the scoop or shoe and has notches 12 in its edges which receive the apertured lugs 10, and hooks 13 pivoted to its outer face with their bills adapted to pass through the eyes in said lugs. Secured-to the inner face of said board are the upright arms 14 of two L-shaped members of strap iron whose upper extremities rise above the upper edge of the board 11 and are notched as at 15, and the lower or horizontal arms 16 of these members lie along the bottom 1 of the shoe and are sharpened at their outer extremities as at 17 and adapted to be slipped into the pockets 9. Thelength of these lower arms 16 is such that when their extremities engage said pockets their notches 12 have passed over the lugs 10 sufficiently to permit the bills of the hooks 18 to pass into the eyes of said lugs. Near their extremities, said lower members 16 have eyes 18 for a purpose to appear below. board or gate is provided, numbered 20, and of a size to fit removably within the other end of the scoop or shoe, and secured across the outer face of this member are two strap irons 21 whose lower ends are projected downward and bent forward and reduced as at 22 so as to form prongs removably engaging the eyes 18 in the L-shaped members above described, and the upper extremities of the strap irons 21 are projected above the upper edge of the gate and pierced with eyes 23 into which are linked two stretches of chain 24 as shown. Finally, a pair of loops 25 are secured to the outer face of the cross board 11, and these may follow the construction illustrated or not, as preferred.

The usesof this device areas follows: lVhen a tree, shrub, or bush is to be transplanted, a trench is dug in the ground around its trunk and at a suflicient distance therefrom to embrace the major portion of its roots, the trench being sunk to a suflicient depth in a manner well known to agriculturists, horticulturists and floricultur ists. The rear edge 3 of the shoe or scoop is then forced in under the roots of the stump around which the excavation has been dug, when the front edges of the sides 2 will pass by it, and this member of my tree transplanter is in this manner introduced gently beneath the entire object which is to be Another cross transplanted. The cross board with its L- shaped members is now taken in hand, and their pointed extremities 17 introduced over the bottom 1 of the shoe and slid along until they pass into the pockets 9, at which time the notches 12 will pass over the apertured lugs 10, and the hooks 13 may be turned down to engage the latter. The gate 20 is then taken in hand and the prongs 22 at the lower ends of its straps 21 are inserted in the eyes 18 in the L-shaped members, and the body of the gate stood upright; after which the two chains 24: are laid over the roots, along the surface of the earth, drawn tight, and engaged with the notches 15 so that the two parts of the inner member of this device are connected at bottom and at top. If the tree be large, it is now braced as indicated in the drawings, so that it will not topple over during the process of transportation. The latter is effected by attaching draft to the front end of the runner 6, and dragging the entire device to the point where the tree is to be replanted. Here there will of course have been provided a suitable hole or trench, into which the transplanter is dragged bodily if it be a trench or placed if it be a hole, and afterward the loops 25 on the cross board 11 are connected with some fixed object such as an adjacent stump by means of ropes or chains 26 in a manner also illustrated. The hooks 13 are raised, and draft agai applied, and this will draw the entire shoe member out from under the drawer member, leaving the tree or plant upright in position. Thereafter the chains are disengaged from the notches 15, the gate canted outward to disengage its prongs from the eyes 18, then removed bodily, and finally the cross board and its L shaped members drawn out in the other direction, and the tree or plant is left standing in the hole, which will be properly filled in and the ground leveled off.

By preference all parts of this device are of metal, save possibly the cross board 11 and the gate 20 which may well be of wood. The shoe will preferably be made of sheet iron, possibly galvanized in order to prevent rust.

The exact details of construction are unimportant, and the general size of parts will be such as to adapt the device to plants, shrubs, or small trees; and it may be made in sizes so that a larger size may be employed for larger trees What is claimed as new is:

1. The hereindescribed transplanter comprising a shoe of substantially U-shaped cross section, a drawer consisting of a cross board adapted to fit within and close one end of said shoe, a gate adapted to fit within and close the other end thereof, L-shaped members whose upright arms are secured inside of said board and notched at their up per extremities and whose lower arms have eyes, strap irons secured to said gate and having prongs at their lower extremities detachably engaging said eyes, and chains connected with the upper extremities of the strap irons and detachably engaging said notches; and means for detachably connecting said cross board with one end of the shoe and the extremities of the lower arms of the L-shaped members within the other end of the shoe, for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein described transplanter comprising a shoe of substantially U-shaped cross section, a drawer consisting of a cross board adapted to fit within and close one end of said shoe, a gate adapted to lit within and close the other end thereof, l.-shaped members whose upright arms are secured inside of said board and notched at their upper extremities and whose lower arms have eyes, strap irons secured to said gate and having prongs at their lower extremities detachably engaging said eyes, and chains connected with the upper extremities of the strap irons and detachably engaging said notches; hooks on the outer side of said board, apertured lugs on the adjacent end of ti e shoe with which said hooks are adapted to engage, and pockets on the bottom of the shoe with which the extremities of said lower arms engage when the hooks engage the apertured lugs.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. COLE. l i itnesses FRED C. "Wnraronn, FRED M. BnnEN.

.Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, I). C. 

